Eau Claire man maintains innocence

January 06, 2009|DEBRA HAIGHT Tribune Correspondent

NILES -- An Eau Claire man maintained his innocence Monday even as he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting a young child. Mark Alan Sellers, 46, of East Main Street in Eau Claire, said he will continue to fight for his innocence with "every breath" in his body. Sellers was found guilty by a Berrien County Trial Court jury last fall of three criminal sexual conduct charges stemming from an incident involving a young female victim that occurred in July 2004 in Eau Claire. The victim's mother also spoke. "We've had our world turned upside down," she said. "I've spent time trying to reassure my daughter that she is safe. She spent the last five years holding a secret since he told her he would shoot and kill her if she told. Berrien County Trial Judge Scott Schofield said he respected Sellers' claim of innocence, but that he also had to respect the decision of the jury in convicting him of two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. "Based on the verdict and testimony, I have to conclude that you violated the victim's trust in the grossest way possible," Schofield said. " ... The harm you inflicted on her is substantial and long lasting and the court hopes it is not permanent. "Your behavior has had tremendous ripple effects on a wide range of people," he said. Sellers was sentenced to 180 months to 360 months in prison on each of the first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges and 84 months to 180 months for the second-degree criminal sexual conduct charge. The terms are concurrent and he was given credit for 191 days already served. He must also pay $240 in fines and costs. In another sentencing, a South Bend man was sentenced to four years in prison for unarmed robbery of the Citgo gas station in Niles Township on Dec. 11, 2006. Damson Lamont Watson, 35, of Lake Street in South Bend, must also pay $262 in restitution and $120 in fines and costs. He was given credit for 104 days already served and the prison sentence will run concurrent with a sentence he's already serving in Indiana for another case of unarmed robbery. Watson blamed his criminal record on his drug addiction and attempts to get money to buy drugs. "I have seriously put my family into jeopardy because of my drug addiction," he told Schofield. "I didn't take it seriously, and I let my family down. In response, Schofield said, "I have bad news and good news. The bad news is that you've been making terrible choices by using drugs and putting people in fear. You have not been making a man's decision. A man has obligations to his family, to society and to himself. "The good news is that you're only 35 years old and it appears that you will still be a relatively young man when you get out," he said. "You'll have the opportunity to show me, society and your family that you're ready to be a man. "Your kids will still need a dad and you are fully capable to be that," he said.